Growing Forward Programming Winding Down
Growing Forward 2 programming was designed to ensure that Saskatchewan producers have the tools they need to continue to drive economic growth in our province by investing in innovation, competitiveness and market development. Both the federal and provincial governments have invested $388 million over a five year period towards programming which started in the spring of 2013.
One of the many programs being offered under Growing Forward 2 was the Farm Business Development Initiative (FBDI) which was delivered through the Farm Business Management Specialists within the Ministry. This program helped to partially cover the cost of consulting and training to improve farm business management practices. The money could be accessed to help in the areas of business strategy planning, marketing, production economics, financial management, human resources, succession, environment and business structures.
Now that we are in the final months of the program being offered, consulting is no longer eligible for funding due to time constraints however; producers can still access funding for training under the program. The FBDI program will pay for 75% of cost of books and tuition for any course that is registered with the program and each producer has access to a maximum of $10,000 to be used towards training. Some examples of courses that are currently being offered include:
Ranching for Profit
Investing in Machinery and Equipment Bridging the Gap: Transition Planning Workshop for Farm Families! Grain Marketing Basics and Advanced Courses
Ag Expert, Field Manager Pro, Sage 50 or Quickbooks training Advancing your Farm Financial Man- agement
Recruitment and Selection Understanding Corporations and how to use them to effectively grow, transition and exit your farm business
For a full listing of courses being offered, please visit our website at https:// fbdi.gov.sk.ca and click on Listing of Registered Learning Activities. Training applications will be accepted until January 31, 2018, providing the intended training can be completed by February 28, 2018. If you wish to access training for advancing your farm business management practices contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.